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Flood house rotting, not gutted following 2016 flood
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BATON ROUGE - A flood-damaged house has been left to rot. The floors were ripped up in August 2016, but the rest of the house was left standing.
Grace Battley lives next to the property on Hickcock Drive in Baton Rouge. She called 2 On Your Side to inquire further about her concerns.
"Nobody's gutted this house over here and the mold has taken over," she said.
The homes in the neighborhood off Hooper Road got about eight feet of water. As every day passes, Battley becomes more and more disgusted with what is festering next door.
"I was concerned about my health," she said.
She called the City-Parish about her concerns. The City-Parish tells 2 On Your Side it inspected the house last Wednesday and confirmed Battley's fears. It says the house is in violation of the International Property Maintenance Code.
According to paperwork posted in the window, the house is in the hands of the mortgage company. The City-Parish says it's issuing a violation letter to the current property owner and the mortgage company. It will provide 30 days for the house to be brought into compliance, and if action is not taken, the matter will be referred to the Parish Attorney's office for legal action.
Mortgage Contracting Services, or MCS, is managing the property. Wednesday, 2 On Your Side contacted the company but a request for information about what is required of MCS at this particular property was not fulfilled by the time the story aired.
There is a realtor's name and number posted on the front door of the house. Calls to this person and company were not returned.
WBRZ also contacted the listed property owner for the address. She tells 2 On Your Side the house was turned over to the mortgage company, JPMorgan Chase, prior to the flood two years ago.
"I don't know what they're going to do with it," said Battley.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase tells 2 On Your Side, "Because of legal issues involving the home, sale of the property has been delayed. We hope to resolve that as soon as possible."
Although there will be no immediate action, Battley is hoping the issue will be taken care of soon so she won't have to live next to a moldy house forever.
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